The tragedy at Walt Disney World in which a 2-year-old boy was snatched from a lagoon at one of its resorts is an unimaginable nightmare.
It is the first time in the Walt Disney World’s nearly 46 year history that any park guest was attacked and dragged off by an animal.
While there have been other deaths at the park, both guests and employees, few compare to the thought of a young child being snatched away while his parents tried to save him.
Here’s a list of some of the incidents over the past 40 years.
Guests deaths
• On Aug. 11, 1977, a 4-year-old boy drowned in the moat surrounding Cinderella Castle.
• On Aug. 22, 1980, an 11-year-old boy died after swimming in the River Country water park next to the campground. The cause of death was amoebic meningoencephalitis, traces of which were found in the water.
• In 1982 a boy drowned at the River Country exhibit.
• On May 23, 1987, a 6-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool at the resort.
• In 1989 a boy drowned at the River Country exhibit.
• On Sept. 12, 1992, a 37-year-old man took hostages of two security guards at Epcot saying he wanted to see his former girlfriend. After a stand-off, he killed himself.
• On May 16, 1995, a 4-year-old girl passed out during a ride on the Body Wars attraction in the Wonders of Life pavilion. She was pronounced dead on the scene. She was known to have a heart condition.
• On Nov. 5, 2000, a 37-year-old man was critically injured while trying to exit a ride vehicle while it was moving. He was struck by the following ride vehicle and was killed.
• In February 2005, a 77-year-old woman lost consciousness and died after riding the Pirates of the Caribbean. It was determined she had underlying medical issues.
• On April 30, 2005, a 30-year-old man died from a heart attack after exiting a ride. He had a heart condition.
• On June 13, 2005, a 4-year-old boy died after riding Mission: Space. He was found to have an undiagnosed idiopathic heart condition called myocardialhypertrophy.
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• On April 12, 2006, a 49-year-old woman became ill after riding Mission: Space and died at Celebration Hospital in nearby Celebration, Florida. She had a brain hemorrhage believed to be caused by severe high blood pressure. There was no link found to the ride.
• On Aug. 1, 2006, a 7-year-old boy fainted after riding Space Mountain and was taken to Celebration Hospital where he died of natural causes.
• On Dec. 7, 2006, a 73-year-old man lost consciousness while riding Space Mountain. He died due to a heart condition.
• On Dec. 18, 2007, a man lost consciousness on a roller coaster. It was determined he died of natural causes with dilated cardiomyopathy.
• On June 29, 2006, a 12-year-old boy was found unresponsive at the end of a ride. The boy died en route to the hospital. It was determined he had a congenital heart defect.
• On March 16, 2007, a 51-year-old man had a heart attack and collapsed near the Downhill Double Dipper water slide. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the local hospital.
• On April 1, 2010, a 9-year-old boy was crushed to death after he rode his bike into a Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground bus. He fell under the wheels of the bus and was killed instantly.
• On Dec. 12, 2010, a 77-year-old woman with pre-existing conditions collapsed after exiting a ride. She later died.
• On Dec. 26, 2010, a 69-year-old man died after stepping in front of a moving Disney transportation bus in the parking lot of Disney's Port Orleans Resort.
• In October 2014, a snake fell out of a tree onto a group of guests in a public area of the theme park and bit an 8-year-old. The boy's grandmother suffered cardiac arrest and died soon afterwards.
• In October 2014, a 54-year-old woman lost consciousness on the ride and died. The death was not believed to be related to the ride
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• In July 7, 2015, a 55-year-old woman died of cardiopulmonary arrest and septic shock after losing consciousness while on a ride. She had a medical history of heart issues.
• On July 14, 2015, a 3-year-old drowned at a resort pool.
• On March 22, 2016, a man apparently committed suicide by jumping onto the monorail track in Disney's Contemporary Resort.
• On June 14, 2016, a 2-year-old boy was dragged from a beach into the water by an alligator. It is assumed the boy was killed by the animal.
Employees
• On Feb. 11, 2004, a 38-year-old employee dressed as Pluto was killed at the Magic Kingdom when he was run over by the Beauty and the Beast float.
• On Nov. 27, 2007, a 63-year-old employee died from a brain injury sustained when she was hit by a ride vehicle after falling from a restricted area of the ride platform.
• On July 5, 2009, a 21-year-old monorail operator was killed when one monorail train backed into another.
• On Aug. 6, 2009, a 47-year-old employee playing the role of a pirate in the "Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial" show slipped and hit his head on a wall and died four days later.
• On Aug. 17, 2009, a 30-year-old performer died after injuring his head while rehearsing a tumbling roll.
• On July 9, 2010, An electrician working for a Disney subsidiary was shocked at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and died.
• On March 13, 2011, a 52-year-old employee sustained head injuries while working on a ride. She later died.
• In October 2014, a 54-year-old woman lost consciousness and died after riding Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
• On Dec. 25, 2014, a 22-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition, lost consciousness after riding It's A Small World on Christmas Day. She later passed away.
• On April 12, 2015, a 36-year-old man died while riding as a passenger in a Lamborghini that crashed at Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway.
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